Scholarly Paper Phase 1
Chamberlain College of Nursing
NR351: Transitions in Professional Nursing
Assigned Article Summary
... [Show More] Having a positive outlook on life creates a better and enjoyable environment. When we train the mind to think positively, we feel better about ourselves and have a better attitude, studies show. The article, “Three Good Things: Build resilience and improve well-being”, discusses how nurses can improve their outlook in order to improve the care provided to their patients. Because nurses extend themselves to their patients, nurses are often left feeling burned out and stressed out quite frequently. This leads to low performance with patients and workload. “Researchers have demonstrated that positive reflection can reduce burnout, build resilience, and improve the well-being of individual participants (Roberts, 2018, p.26).”
A strategy to combat burn out and stress is “three good things.” Each day, a person is to write down three good things that occurred during the day. The person is to do this every day for a set period. The goal of Three good things is to train the mind to think positively and forget the few bad things that may have occurred during your day. “The power behind Three Good Things lies in our increased ability to perceive positive emotions (Roberts, 2018, p.27).” According to studies, participants experienced a “40% drop in depression, fewer delays, better work-life balance and less conflict with others (Roberts, 2018, p.26).”
Three Good Things goes beyond nursing. It can be implemented in all aspects of life. To start, one simply must write down good things that occurred during their day for a maximum of two weeks. In the workplace, three good things can be passed along when giving change of shift report, as a way to continue the positive energy. During meetings, employees can implement this tool in order to leave the meeting with positive energy. “This powerful tool can be used to improve your current levels of well-being and any time you begin to feel that your personal resources are being depleted (Roberts, 2018, p.27.)”
Impact of Assigned Article Content on Future Practice
Being a nurse, we tend to put ourselves last. Our patients’ needs always come first. This leaves us feeling overwhelmed, tired, stressed and on edge. When we don’t have an outlet, this will begin to affect our work performance, thus affecting our patients. When I work four twelve hour shifts in a row, I feel the stress and burnout discussed in the article. On my days off, I look forward to rejuvenating and reenergizing myself. For nurses to have an outlet which can reduce burnout will help nurses in the future. Nurses can have more of a positive attitude which will translate in their work performance and have a better patient experience. Nurses will probably feel less inclined to leave the profession. The work-life balance will improve because three good things can be carried over into the home life as well.
Conclusion
References
Roberts, P. (2018). Three Good Things: Build resilience and improve well-being. American Nurse Today, 13(12), 26–28. Retrieved from https://chamberlainuniversity.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ccm&AN=134199482&site=ehost-live&scope=site [Show Less]